The Scone stand-alone meeting will be held this Saturday. The course proper was rated a Soft 5 on Thursday and with fine weather leading up to the weekend, Scone should be racing on a Good track on raceday.
The BTC Cup meeting will be held at Doomben on Saturday. The course proper was rated a Good 4 on Thursday and with fine weather forecast for the next couple of days, Doomben will be racing on a Good track on raceday.
The Godolphin-owned gelding Duca Valentinois is primed to take out the opening event at Scone (Sydney Race 1, 2200m). This 4YO has been doing well this preparation winning 1st up over a mile and finished a close 2nd at Hawkesbury last start. Stepping up to 2200m 3rd up looks ideal. Champion jockey James McDonald will again be on board the gelding. Even with 60kg, Duca Valentinois is the horse they have to beat.
Spill The Beans is the class horse in the Scone Guineas and his rating suggests that he should win the race accordingly (Sydney Race 5, 1400m). The Gerald Ryan-trained 3YO started off the campaign with victory in the Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes, followed by two unplaced efforts behind Group 1 winners Press Statement and Japonisme. Spill The Beans was back to winning form last start leading all the way in the Hawkesbury Guineas a fortnight ago. No other runners in the Guineas field could boost the same credential as Spill The Beans and I believe this colt will complete the Hawkesbury-Scone Guineas double on Saturday.
The BTC Cup (Brisbane Race 7, 1200m) is the curtain raiser for the winter carnival Group 1 sprint races, namely the Doomben 10,000 and the Stradbroke Handicap. A lot of gallopers are using this race as a lead-up to the big sprint double. Current race favourite Fell Swoop has been in great form, taking out the Victory Stakes last start after finishing 2nd to the world’s best sprinter Chautauqua in the TJ Smith Stakes. However, Fell Swoop has been having a fairly tough campaign and he might have already peaked this prep, not to mention that his wide gate (10) would be against him. Since being promoted to Group 1 level eleven years ago, no BTC Cup winner has jumped from wider than barrier 6.
By the same token, the Waller-trained Japonisme is slowly hitting top form. The gelding has a short break after he took out the Group 2 Arrowfield Stakes last start. Waller has kept Japonisme to the mark by sending him to a 1050m trial last week in which he won. From a lovely gate (3), Glyn Schofield will settle the gelding just behind the pace on the fence. Japonisme will be hard to hold out in the BTC Cup.
By Owens Wong, Editor
